Tales Q&A With Marieke Nijkamp

Today, 5th January 2015, marks the book birthday of the brilliant This Is Where It Ends by the wonderful Marieke Nijkamp!

Happy Book Birthday Marieke!

This is a 2016 release which I am lucky enough to have already read and it was featured on my 15 Best Books Read In 2015 post here

This book made my heart beat with every page and eyes sting with tears! I felt emotionally connected to all of the four characters telling the story and I loved the sense of friendships, family and community that push themselves to the forefront due to the situation that arises. Although a hard painful read full of emotion it is written brilliantly and with care. A brilliant book from start to finish! A brilliant debut to look out for in 2016.

Join us to chat about This Is Where It Ends, writing habits and some brilliant facts!

Hi Marieke! Welcome to Tale Of Yesterday! I am over the moon to have you here!

Firstly a little about your debut book, This Is Where It Ends

10:00 a.m.
The principal of Opportunity, Alabama’s high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m. The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03 The auditorium doors won’t open.

10:05 Someone starts shooting.

Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student’s calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

So what inspired you to write the story of what happens in the school of Opportunity?

Several high profile school shootings, a lot of questions, and a need to understand not only the situation but especially the human aspect of it. I wanted to understand the stories of a school shooting. THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS allowed me to create and explore those stories.

How did the concept of a story told over 54 minutes from four different perspectives come about?

On the one hand, I wanted to stick as close as possible to the experience of a shooting, to show how, in a matter of moments, everything you know can change. On the other, I also wanted to show the different experiences of a shooting, the stories, and I wanted to do that through the eyes of the people who were at the heart of it—and closest to the shooter.

Do you see yourself in any of the characters?

In many ways, I think, Sylvia is closest to me. But I relate to all of the characters in different ways, and they’re all completely different from me too.

Do you have any strange writing habits?

Not really! I like to listen to music, especially when I’m plotting, but that doesn’t seem like such a strange habit. I do prefer to write longhand, especially when I’m drafting. And that seems to raise some eyebrows, at least. But I think better when I’m holding a pen to paper.

Are there any authors you would like to collaborate with? Who?

That depends on the type of collaboration, to be honest! Writing a book together can be quite tricky, and I find I need someone who’s method of writing is very close to mine to be able to do that. But if you’re thinking anthologies or shared universes… there are quite a few authors I admire a great deal and I’d be honoured to work with them 🙂

Can you give us 5 random facts we don’t know about Marieke Nijkamp?

1 – This is something that always comes as a shock to people who don’t know yet: I can’t eat chocolate and haven’t been able to for many years. Horrendous, no? I’m actually completely used to it by now, and 99,9% of the time, I don’t even miss it anymore.

2 – I know the entire script of the movie A Knight’s Tale by heart. It’s one of my favourite films, and I honestly can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen it. A LOT.

3 – I’m a big theatre geek. I have seen hundreds of shows live, both musicals and straight plays, and I love going to theatre to refilling the creative well.

4 – I’m also an avid football fan. The combination of the two seems to surprise a lot of people 😉 I’m a season pass holder at my local club.

5 – I would wear suits every day if I could, but I do also own a few dresses. Usually for ren/fantasy fairs or other times I need to dress up.

What would you like your readers to take away from reading This Is Where It Ends?

Above all, I’d like them to take away hope. It’s a difficult story and it doesn’t necessarily have a happy ending, but I do hope it has a hopeful ending. To me, hope is the light that guides us.

Thank you so so much for answering so many questions Marieke! It’s be so great having you on Tales!

Marieke Nijkamp was born and raised in the Netherlands. A lifelong student of stories, language, and ideas, she is more or less proficient in about a dozen languages and holds degrees in philosophy, history, and medieval studies. She is a storyteller, dreamer, globe-trotter, geek. Her debut young adult novel This Is Where It Ends, a contemporary story that follows four teens over the course of the fifty-four minutes of a school shooting, is published by Sourcebooks Fire.

Have you read This Is Where It Ends? What did you think? Has this Q&A or my review intrigued you? I would love to hear from you! Why not leave a comment using the reply button at the top of the page or tweet me on twitter using @chelleytoy !

I am often known to be a bit clumsy and a little loopy! Book loving (obsessed), theatre loving, slasher film loving csi geek!
Winner of UKYABA Champion Newcomer 2015 and nominated for Champion of Social Media 2016 and Blogger Of The Year 2016!